Franklin the mouse and the flying machine
by TheForceisright
Summary: Franklin is a country mouse that lives in a farmhouse and goes on many adventures with his friends and cousins the field mice. They build a flying machine to torment the cat that is constantly chasing them.


**Franklin the Mouse**

 **and the flying machine**

by Hensley

Chapter One

Once upon a time, there was a mouse named Franklin.

He lived in a people house in a hole in the baseboard of the pantry.

There was a farmer and his wife, and their two children,

and a cat named Tom that lived there too. Franklin's room was nice and cozy, and he had furniture made from spools of thread, a thimble, a large matchbox, and potato sack. He didn't need to store food because he lived very near the kitchen and had all the food he could eat. Sometimes he even took food to his cousins that lived in the barn, the Field Mice. He had many adventures with them and with other creatures around the farm. But most all, his adventures involved the cat named Tom. Tom was a tall grey cat that the farmer had found as a kitten on the side of the road near town. He'd been around for as long as Franklin could remember and he loved to chase mice.

Every day, Franklin would sneak across the living room to go outside, and Tom was always waiting for him. On one particular rainy day, Franklin led Tom on a chase all around the living room, under the couch, over the end table, up the curtains, and down the door jamb. There was a secret hole in the baseboard next to the door that Tom had not found yet, and that's usually how Franklin got away from that silly cat. But today, ole Tom happened to see him go into the hole, and he spent the rest of the day looking for where it led. And he would never have found out had he not seen one of Franklin's cousins sneaking into the house through a knothole in the porch.

The next day, Tom was ready for Franklin. He had slipped out the door with the farmer when he went to feed the chickens, and he waited at the edge of the porch near the knothole. At the same time, Franklin crept out and made his way to the living room looking for Tom. This was a daily ritual. But the cat was nowhere to be seen. He sat still for a few minutes wondering where that ole cat was, and what kind of tricks he was about to spring on him. But mice are clever and sneaky, for one of his cousins popped out of the secret hole by the door and whispered "Psst...Hey Cuz, are you looking for Tom?" "Yes" said Franklin. "Where is that fool of a cat?"

"He's no fool" said Cuz. "He's waiting for you out on the porch by the knothole. He's figured out your escape route". "Oh, I see" says Franklin, "So he thinks that's the only way out. Let's surprise him".

Once inside the secret hole in the baseboard, there were many paths that led outside. Franklin and his cousin took a path that came out underneath the porch, so you can imagine Tom's surprise when he saw the two mice running across the yard to the barn. Well, Tom had friends too, like the old crow who lived in the top of the barn. The crow saw the mice and squawked and alerted Tom that they were getting away. Tom jumped off the porch as far as he could to head them off, while the crow flew down to cut off their path. In this story friends help friends, and Franklin's friend the Redtail Hawk saw what was going on and flew into action to head off the crow.

Whew! They made it to the barn safe and sound. "This is going to be an interesting day" said Franklin.

Chapter Two

Now hawks and mice normally aren't friends (because hawks eat mice) but Franklin is a special mouse, at least to this particular hawk. This hawk's name is Sharla, and she is alive because of Franklin and his brave, kind character.

One night , about a year ago, on a very stormy night, Franklin was sitting outside on the porch.

He was unsettled because the wind and thunder of the storm was very noisy and dangerous sounding. He was concerned about his cousins, the field mice, out in the barn. Lightning had struck the barn about a year earlier and nearly burned down the whole farm! There was a lot of lightning in this storm so Franklin was on guard, watching. Each time the lightning flashed it lit up the farm enough to see most of the other animals. There was a great big oak tree, a Mother oak, between the house and the barn. In the top of the tree was a nest, a redtail hawk nest, and according to the cousins in the barn, who were always exploring every inch of the farm, there were eggs in the nest. Just then, lightning struck the top of the tree and Franklin saw the nest fall to the ground. Without fear, or thinking of the storm, Franklin ran out to the nest. It was a sad sight, for the mother hawk and two of the eggs had perished. Now Tom also saw the nest fall and spotted the only egg that survived and he sprang forward to get it before anyone else saw it. Franklin knew the cat would eat the egg so he grabbed it and ran into the barn. Franklin had spent the night in the barn with his cousins and the egg. Some of his cousins wanted him to abandon the egg to the cat because they knew that once it hatched, the hawk would want to eat them. But Franklin just couldn't do that. Partly because he wouldn't give ole Tom the satisfaction of having it, and partly because he believed he could save the bird and gain a friend . And that's exactly what happened. After the egg hatched Franklin became it's parent. It was a girl bird and he named her Sharla. Franklin didn't know anything about raising birds so he often sought the advice of the wise old Donkey named Ella-weezy, Ella for short. Ella talked the old hen Lucinda into helping as well. After all, she was a bird too. After a few months Sharla was getting ready to fly. They made their way up to the top of the barn. This is where they met, and became enemies with, the old crow.

His name is Bart(we call him "barf") and he did not like Sharla at all. Bart tried to push her off the top of the barn and then pecked and sqawked at her till she cried. Sharla ran along the top of the barn flapping her wings and crying until she suddenly realized there was no more barn beneath her. She was flying! She learned to turn and hover and soon she learned to dive. Diving was fun, especially when she spotted Bart, she dove right at him and then HE began to cry and flew away. Franklin was a very proud mouse that day and all the farm animals whinnied, nayed, moo-ed, barked and quacked and yelled in excitement for Sharla and Franklin. They remained friends until the end of their days.

Chapter Three

After the quick getaway from Tom and Bart, Franklin's cousin Scooter said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if we could fly like Sharla and Bart?" "Awesome?" asked Franklin, "why it would be absolutely fabulous! But we don't have wings and YOU'RE afraid of heights anyway!" They both laughed. But a thought began to brew in Franklin's mind about flying. He had sat on the mantle of the fireplace in the house as the farmer and his family watched the big box with lighted moving pictures in it. Franklin was always fascinated by the moving pictures and he remembered one such time that there were flying machines in the pictures. People were inside them and controlling their movements and even spitting fire at other flying machines and knocking them out of the sky. This got Franklin to thinking, how hard could it be to build a flying machine and what kind of controls would be needed to move it around once it got in the air? "You know," said Franklin, "I bet we could build a flying machine." Scooter replied, "I have no doubt that we could, but who would fly it? And how would we make it fly? And how do you fly?" "I think," said Franklin, "that we should ask these questions to our friend Sharla. I bet she could help." Up to the top of the barn they went, peeked out of the window and called for her. She landed in the window sill and said, "Hey Papa Frank! That was fun flogging ole Barf. Why if he'd been successful in helping Tom catch you I'd have...well, he wouldn't be flying again!" "Yes thank you my dear for helping. And speaking of flying, we've got some questions for you about that subject." Franklin explained to her what he'd been thinking about building a flying machine and how to fly it.

Sharla was very excited, she said, "Oh Papa Frank, I would be delighted to help you learn to fly! We could soar in the sky together! We could dive at ole Tom and Barf and they would never catch us!" Scooter started feeling sick at the thought of flying and said, " I'll be happy to help build a flying machine but me and your other cousins, we'll stay on the ground." "Then let's get started!" said Sharla and Franklin together. " We'll need to get everyone in on this project." said Franklin. " Let's call a meeting this evening. We should invite Ella-weezy, she's very wise. Lucinda the hen, and Rufus the weasel, they're great for logistics. And Charlie the spider, he's a very dear friend and very resourceful." Scooter said, "We've got many good workers, all my brothers and sisters." "What about Jango, the horse?" asked Sharla. "He's always got great ideas and he despises that old crow and Tomcat!" "Great!" said Franklin, "It's settled then. After sundown let's all meet at the back of the barn." Sharla flapped her wings and said, "I'll let everyone know. And I'll ask Lucinda if she can persuade that big rooster, Buck, to keep Tom busy and out of our feathers...and fur, for a while." Thanks Sharla." said Franklin. "Anything for my papa Frank..." she said while flying away.

Franklin and scooter began drawing up some plans, all while eagerly awaiting the meeting this evening. There was a lot of excitement that began to run thru the farm, you could feel it in the air. Old Tom knew something was up, but he had no idea what he was about to be in for.

Chapter Four

After the late night meeting behind the barn, everyone had a task or job to do. The gathering of supplies took several days, and all in secret. Tom was very suspicious of everyone and he became frustrated that no one would let him in on what was going on. His everyday chasing of Franklin led him outside and to the barn but that's as far as he could get. Buck the rooster would crow and alert everyone inside. The field mice were on guard and they constantly sent him on wild goose chases...literally.

Wanker, the old goose was always waiting for Tom somewhere. The mice would let Tom chase them until he was just about wore out then lead him to where Wanker would be waiting. The old farmer always got a chuckle when he saw that goose chasing the cat. Wanker would peck at Tom's heals and the cat would jump three feet in the air and never miss a stride!

Tom didn't have many friends on the farm, but one friend was a real rat. Seriously, he was really a rat. No body knew his name, they just called him Snarl, because he always had a nasty snarl on his face. He was dirty and never bathed and always scavenged or begged for food . Tom was his only friend, if that's what you want to call it, he's the only animal that would talk to or have anything to do with him. Tom knew that if anyone could sneak into the barn it would be Snarl, so he waited by the hog pen for him to show up. That dirty old rat always came by in the evenings to gather a few hog-slop scraps. Tom was laying on the top rail of the fence when Snarl came waddling by. "Hey old friend," Tom said in a soft sly voice, "looks like all the scraps are gone. I hate that for ya." "Really?" said Snarl, "I wouldn't think you cared, nobody else does." Tom said, "Now who is your only friend? Who's helped you out of a few tight spots? Who brings you food from the farmers table?" "OK you made your point," said Snarl, "So what do you have for me tonight?" "Nothing but this old chicken bone," said Tom. "But I can get you some REAL food if you'd like." "Real food as in...what kind of real food? Table food?" asked Snarl. "If that's what you want Snarl I'll bring you as much table food as you can eat," said Tom. "But..." "Ah, the ole proverbial but!" said Snarl. "What do I have to do?" Snarl didn't mind working a little for a good cooked meal. He just didn't want to do TOO much work, he was somewhat lazy. "Sneak into the barn and find out what those mice are up to," said Tom. "They are up to something and almost everyone on the farm is involved." "Yes, I saw old Wanker chasing you away from there," said Snarl, "but curiosity isn't enough for me to go find out why. Food is though, when will I get my payment?" asked the rat. "Tomorrow evening, providing you bring me some kind of evidence of what they're up to." said Tom. "And as a good gesture, I'll tell you where the dog just buried a big ham bone, if you'll sneak in tonight." Snarl thought about it for a few seconds, he wasn't planning on anything strenuous this evening, but for a fresh ham bone, he'd do it! "Ok Tom, let's spit shake on it." said Snarl. "I'm not shaking anything of yours, especially if you spit on it!" said Tom, throwing down the old chicken bone. "Just find out what they're up to. And if you double cross me I'll catch you and take you to the farmer!"

Chapter Five

Inside the barn, supplies were streaming in everyday. Rufus the weasel proved most resourceful at gathering the things they needed. There was an empty oatmeal carton(round), empty paper towel roll, empty TP rolls, wire, string, popcickle sticks, tape, cardboard, bottons, and paper. Sharla was in charge of design, as she was an expert flyer. Franklin and Scooter and family cut and glued and attached things together. Things were looking pretty good during the construction phase and Franklin was pleased. With the many cousins, almost too many to count, there were plenty of workers, gatherers, and look-outs to help keep it a top secret mission. The guard mice even kept old Bart out of the top of the barn so he couldn't spy on them.

Now, if one were to describe what the project looked like it would go like this; There was a large barrel shaped mid section lying horizontal with a long, smaller barrel shaped tail section connected by a funnel. There were small wings of cardboard attached to both sides of the small end and a larger upright wing attached to the end as well. There were two large wings that ran from the barrel outward on both sides. They were framed with popcickle sticks and covered with cardboard, but inside them were little pulleys connected by strings that moved separate flaps on both wings. The strings ran all the way to the front to the controls in the cockpit. There was some wire and buttons that looked like wheels and struts but were not attached so there was still work to be done. The flying machine needed a nose and wheels and then testing could begin. This is what Snarl saw and was making mental notes to report back to Tom. He didn't know what he could take back as proof. He thought of the wire and button/wheel-strut assembly and was just about to grab it when he heard voices. "You know," said Franklin, " it just looks weird. How it that gonna fly? How will it stay up in the air?" "Well," said Sharla, "we'll haul it up to the top of the barn and give a shove!" "Oh my," said Franklin. "Are you sure it will work?" "Sure it will," she said. "Don't you remember my first day flying?" "Yes I do," says Franklin, "but again, how will it stay up? You can flap your wings to fly. This contraption doesn't do that." "Hmmmm," Sharla thought for a minute. "How do the flying machines on the moving picture box fly?" Franklin remembered and said, "They had a small, strange, fast moving wing thingy on the front, I think that propelled them." "Oh gosh," said Sharla, " I wish I could see one so we would know how to build it." "Where are you going?" asked Franklin. "I'm gonna fly, I always think better while soaring high." said Sharla. She flew off to think fo a while. While this conversation was going on, Snarl grabbed the button and wire and snuck back out to report to Tom.

Chapter Six

Sharla soared high in the sky, deep in thought. It was dark by now and her attention was more on her thoughts than the land below. She had flown for quite some time and didn't realize how far away she'd gone, when suddenly, out of nowhere, she was buzzed by a flying machine! She tumbled and fell for a few seconds then regained her flight. The flying machine was below her and flying away toward rows of lights on the ground. She followed the flyer and watched it land between the lights on a long road. This of course is an airport and the flying machine an airplane but Sharla had never seen anything like this. She was fascinated. She landed on the covered building the plane had disappeared into. "This must be it's barn." she said. A person was inside and then the top opened and the person climbed out. Sharla quickly flew over to take a look inside the plane, making all the mental notes she could. She then studied the funny looking wing on the front and had observed how it spun around very fast. "That must be what propels this thing." she said. "It is." she heard a voice say. There in the rafters of the flying machine barn was a most handsome bird, a falcon. He flew down to greet her. " Who are you and why are you interested in my master's plane?" The falcon asked. So many questions began to fill Sharla's head. "Plane? Master? Uh, I'm Sharla, who are you?" "I'm asking the questions here, but first, let me introduce myself. I'm Ace, pleased to meet you Sharla." "Ace?" Sharla asked, "why do they call you that?" "Because I'm a peregrine falcon, faster than any other, and I can out-fly any bird." said Ace. Sharla chuckled, "Well, you'd be hard pressed to out-fly me." "We shall put that to the test soon my dear, but first, why are you here? And why so interested in this airplane?" he asked.

She explained her interest, and where she came from and what she and her friends were trying to accomplish. In fact they talked of many things and found that they rather enjoyed each others company and had so many things in common. Sharla actually learned a lot of valuable information about how machines fly. Ace decided he wanted to help with her project. "Do you think your friends would allow me to help?" he asked. "I think so," she said, "I would need to go back and explain it all and then introduce you. I'm afraid the small mammals would be terrified of you at first because, you know, you DO eat their kind. You must promise to not frighten or hurt them." "I promise." said Ace. A wonderful new friendship began that evening between a beautiful redtail hawk, and a handsome peregrine falcon. But more about their stories later. Sharla flew home and rested until morning. She couldn't wait to tell Franklin what she'd found.

Chapter Seven

The next morning Franklin awoke and went thru his normal routine of breakfast, wash and run outside before the cat could catch him. The thing is, this morning, Tom couldn't be found. He wasn't in the living room or outside. This bothered Franklin some because he rather liked messing with that cat. Just before he reached the barn, Sharla swooped down and landed in front of him. "First things first," she said, "I've got so much to tell you about my flight last night, but for now, we have to get away from the barn. Tom is in there." "Has he discovered our project?" asked Franklin. "He is looking at it but he isn't sure what to think at the moment." said Sharla. "I think he believes the old rat, Snarl, is trying to fool him or something. Now you must climb on my back, this will be your first flight lesson, AND I can show you what I found last night." Franklin climbed on and away they went thru the air.

Snarl had brought the wheel and wire to Tom last night along with this crazy story of flying machines and the mice building one for Franklin to fly. It was a preposterous story if he'd ever heard one! A mouse in a flying machine! Why Tom just had to see this for himself. He figured ole Snarl was making the whole thing up just to get fed. Tom called to Bart from the window of the house and had him fly down to the dog and make him bark so the farmer would go outside to see what was the matter. He did and when old farmer went out, so did Tom. That's how he got to the barn and sneaked inside. All the mice were asleep and old Tom just walked right in. Even with the evidence in front of him, he couldn't believe it. He figured Snarl had thrown this crazy looking contraption together just to fool him. But Snarl had roused out Scooter and forced him to tell Tom what they had been planning. "I should eat you right now." said Tom. But Scooter being the sly mouse he is, managed to talk his way out of it, and in doing so, eased Tom's fears that this thing would ever get off the ground. Tom left the barn and the contraption unworried and headed to the house. He had a promise to fulfill to get Snarl some real food, and he wanted to ponder on Franklin and the flying contraption. What if it was true? What would he do? He had to come up with a plan.

Franklin LOVED flying. He couldn't believe he hadn't done this before. It made him that much more excited about flying himself. Sharla flew him to the airport she found last night. They circled above it for a while and she explained that the airplanes(she now knew the correct terminology, thanks to Ace) took off and landed there. As she is talking about this Franklin notices another shadow on the ground, following theirs. Just then a bird of prey zipped down past them at break-neck speed! Franklin was afraid, but Sharla said, " Don't be afraid, he wont hurt you. That's my friend Ace I met here last night. I told him all about my papa Frank. He's just showing off his "superior" flying skills." Sharla folded her wings and dove after Ace. It was a magnificent ride! Franklin decided that he needed to learn to dive in his flying machine, what fun! After they landed Franklin slid off and waited underneath Sharla's wing. He was still somewhat afraid of this new friend of hers. He had seen a few of his cousins whisked away by a bird just like this last spring. Ace approached slowly and said, "Hello Mr. Franklin, don't be afraid, I promised Sharla I would not harm you or any of your friends. My name is Ace. What do you think of my place?" "Good to meet you Ace, and this is very interesting." said Franklin. The three of them talked for quite a while and when they were thru, Franklin knew as much about flying machines and flying as his little brain could understand. He thanked Ace for all the knowledge he'd given and invited him to come help with their project if he liked. "As long as you buzz dive that old cat, you are welcome anytime." said Franklin. He and Sharla flew back toward home.

Chapter Eight

Back at the barn Scooter waited on Franklin and Sharla to return. Ella had been nervous all morning since she saw Tom and Snarl leave. She asked Scooter what had happened and he told her everything, about how that nasty rat pinned him down and made him tell the cat what was going on. This only made their resolve stronger. When Franklin returned they told him everything that happened but he wasn't worried. He knew they would build a flying machine and it would work. Everyone got to work on the little plane and it was all coming together as planned.

About noon the barn animals heard the children outside playing. They loved to watch them play, and the sound of their laughter was like sweet music to them. Today's play was very special, it was their birthday. They are twins, a boy and a girl. Now what is so interesting about this part of the story is the timing of their birthdays and the gifts they got. In particular, a couple of new toys, flying toys, airplanes! Why it's like it was meant to be. Both the kids each had an airplane with a propeller. A wind up with a rubber band propeller! They spent all day winding up their props and throwing the airplanes into the air and watching them soar. Franklin and the other critters very much enjoyed watching them and actually learned a little about flying machines as well. They went back to work trying to develop a propeller . First they used a couple wooden spoons but that didn't really work. They cut out propellers from cardboard, but that didn't work either. At the end of the long exhausting day, late into the night, Rufus the weasel came running in carrying parts of a little wooden airplane. Lucinda scolded him saying, "Rufus! Did you steal that from those children? Isn't that one of the toys they were playing with earlier?" "It is, and no I didn't steal it from them." he said. "I found it in the trash can. You see, the children played and played with their toys all day until finally, they were broken to the point that they wouldn't fly any more. That's where I came in, I gathered as many of the parts that I could, a couple of very useful parts I hope." "So you did," said Sharla, "very useful indeed! You got the propellers!" Franklin and Scooter and Sharla stayed up late that night designing and building in the props. They did have a couple big thick rubber bands, and they should really give this plane some power! "We'll try it out first thing tomorrow," said Franklin. "Let's get some rest." Everyone went to bed that night excited about tomorrow, for tomorrow they would fly.

Chapter Nine.

Sunrise came and ole Buck started crowing. Franklin jumped out of bed and was ready to start the day. Tom yawned and went back to sleep, with one eye closed and the other watching for the mouse. The farmer would be up soon and after cooking breakfast and having coffee, would head outside to feed the animals and milk the cow. All the farm animals began to wake and stir. Scooter was the first of the field mice to awake, Lucinda ruffled her feathers and Ella bayed to answer Buck's good morning. Morning on the farm, ah...it was such a wonderful beginning to each day.

Franklin hurried outside, not waiting for Tom to chase him. He scurried to the barn and made his way in. Sharla had been awake just sitting in her nest and when her pin-point vision spotted Franklin running across the yard she spread her wings and headed to the barn.

This was a big day. Everyone was eager to see the first flight of their airplane. Sharla had changed her mind about taking off from the top of the barn and opted for something more like the runway of the airport she'd discovered. Franklin was happier with that idea because just in case it didn't take off, he didn't have far to fall. A couple of Scooter's brothers wound up the propellers as Franklin climbed into the pilot seat. Sharla would take off with franklin and help guide him thru and Ace was circling overhead ready to dive into action if the plane went down.

The plane had a simple design based on the models the kids played with. The propellers were mounted on each wing and the rubber bands were attached to the inside back of the wings. Scooter's brothers were the two strongest mice and they wound up the propellers as tight as they could. It was now or never, Franklin, seated in the cockpit, gave the nod and the propellers were released. Off went the plane and Franklin pulled back on the stick. Up, up up he went. Franklin the mouse was now flying! Sharla flew along side and coached him on how to fly. Franklin turned and dipped and went higher and higher. It was a good thing he was so high up because just about then the propellers stopped. The nose of the plane started going down and Franklin could feel himself falling, he could steer left and right and when Sharla yelled, "Pull up!" he did, and the plane leveled off. Crash avoided, but Sharla had to teach him how to land. Franklin was a great listener and he made a near perfect landing. Wow, the first flight was just amazing! The celebration was short as they began to think at once how to make it fly longer. The rubber bands gave it enough power but they un-spun very quickly and the plane became a glider. Franklin had an idea, there is a hamster that lives in the house and uses a running cage to exercise daily. Could they make a cage to fit inside the plane to power the props? They took this idea to the drawing board and Rufus lead a scavenger party for the parts they needed.

Chapter 10

The spinning cage was small but fit nicely into the belly of the airplane. There were two gears on each side that each turned a shaft with another gear on one end that fit into, and turned, another gear and shaft connected to the propellers. Scooter chose his fastest, most fit brother for the job of powering the plane. His name is Jinx and he is freaky fast! Especially when he has eaten some chocolate. He can literally run for hours.

The time came to test their ingenuity and determination for flying. Jinx had eaten half a candy bar and was ready to go. He started running inside the round cage and the propellers started turning, the plane started moving. It got faster and faster and faster, Franklin pulled back on the controls and up they went. Higher and faster than before, Franklin put the little plane thru it's paces. Turning and diving and even a loop! Sharla could barely keep up! "Woo Hoo papa Frank!" she yelled. They flew in a large circle pattern over the farm, Sharla just off the left wing and Ace just off the right. They first set their sights on Bart and all three dove after him. For the farm animals on the ground, it was like a moving picture show. Bart tried to get away but Franklin stayed right on his tail. Weaving in and out of trees, over the barn, even under the roof of the front porch! Around the mother oak tree and down the fence row toward the pasture. Franklin could hear the animal sounds cheering him on. The farmer was in the field on his tractor and couldn't hear the commotion, fortunately, for he would not have believed his eyes if he'd seen what was happening. Tom heard it tho and ran outside just in time to see Bart flying by yelling for help with Franklin right behind him. Tom could not believe it. A flying mouse! That cat couldn't help himself, his instincts kicked in and Tom found himself giving chase. This gave Ace an idea tho, he signaled to Sharla to dive for Tom's head and give him a little tap. She folded her wings and down she went, zeroing in on the back of the cat's head, she pulled up just in time to pop him and flew back into the air. Tom spun around and slid to a stop. "What was THAT?" he shouted. Snarl, who was sitting under the edge of the porch witnessing the whole thing shouted back, "That Redtail hawk!" he pointed over the barn, for she had circled around for another dive run at the cat. Franklin had given up chase of Bart and turned back to join Sharla in dive bombing Tom. This is what he had been waiting for, time to get that cat back for all the times he'd chased him. Tom started running for the porch when suddenly, Ace buzzed right across his nose. This turned the cat toward the barn. Franklin had him in his sights. Too bad he didn't have something to shoot at him, not to hurt him, just scare him a little, like a spit wad or something. He buzzed the cat along his back and made his fur stand on end. The field mice, the chickens, the goose, the horse and donkey were all laughing at Tom. It was fun to see him get chased for a change. Why even old Bart was laughing from high atop the barn.

Now while all this was going on, Snarl and gone back to whatever hole he lived in and drug out something he'd found long ago. It was a sling shot. He carefully carried it out to a fence post that had a hole in the top of it just big enough to slide the handle down into. It was out by the pond and away from all the action so no one noticed him. Then he went back to his hole and got a small sack of marbles. On his way back out he saw Tom crouching underneath the old rusty tractor and went to him and said, "I can help you with these flying things." "How?" asked Tom. "That's for me to take care of. As for you, all you'll need to do is run out toward the pond" said Snarl. "Are you crazy?!" yelled Tom. "There's no cover out there and they'll have all my fur peeled off my head before I can get back here!" "No they won't," said the rat, "I've got a sling shot set up out there and I'm gonna shoot that flying contraption down." "Ok," said Tom, "If this works, what am I gonna owe ya?" "Real food," said Snarl as he waddled out toward the pond.

Chapter Eleven

Tom waited for the signal from Snarl, then ran as fast as he could out toward the pond. Ace was on his tail followed by Franklin. Sharla was enjoying this chase and chose to circle overhead and watch. That's when her pinpoint vision spotted Snarl. She didn't know what the thing was, but he was pulling on it with all his might and she didn't like it. She felt her papa was in danger and dove with a crying shriek that froze nearly everyone on the farm. Ace knew something was wrong and pulled up to get a better view. "What's wrong?" he yelled. Sharla was in full speed dive toward the fence when Ace spotted Snarl. With a fierceness in his eyes he dove too, they reached Snarl at the same time but not before he let off a shot. Ace had the rat in his claws and pinned him to the ground. Snarl must have thought the falcon was about to eat him, and he might have had he not heard Sharla shriek again. The rat's shot had hit it's mark and Franklin's plane was tumbling down, right into the pond! It hit with a splash. Sharla circled the pond crying out for Franklin. The plane was sinking. Ace let go of Snarl and flew over to Tom. "You better swim out there and save that mouse or she'll peck your eyes out!" he said. Tom didn't think twice about it. He never intended for anyone to get hurt, he jumped into the pond and swam out to the spot where the plane hit. There was Franklin and Jinx. "Grab hold you two!" Tom said. He swam them to shore and shook off the water. The mice were not hurt just a little dazed. Sharla landed and spread her wings around Franklin. "Thank you Tom, for saving my papa." she said. Tom glanced at Ace and back at the hawk and mouse, "Ah, uh well, I didn't mean for anybody to get hurt ya know. It was the rat's idea to shoot that flying machine down." They looked over where Snarl was but he was gone. For a lazy no good rat he sure can move fast when he needs to, he was nowhere in sight. " He better not ever show up around here again if he knows what's good for him," said Ace, "I'll be looking for him."

It's unknown if Snarl ever got word of that remark or not, or just took it upon himself to move on away from there but no one on the farm ever saw him again. As for Franklin and everyone else, they never stopped talking about the flying machine and all that happened in those days. Why there was even talk of building another flyer.

Life on the farm never was the same, and although the everyday routine of cat and mouse returned, Tom knew he'd never be able to really catch this mouse. Franklin knew that too. But it's not the catching that's fun, it's the adventure of the chase. And there were many more adventures, even for a flying mouse!

The End


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